BAFTA nomination for fly-on-the wall Beds Police documentary

Investigating Officer Nash Hussain and PC Mark Paul during an episode of the documentary

Published:13:12Thursday 13 April 2017

Fly-on-the wall documentary series 24 Hours in Police Custody which follows Bedfordshire Police has been nominated for a BAFTA award.

The Channel 4 series, produced by Garden Productions, has been nominated for the prestigious awards in its Factual Series category.

Currently filming its third series with Bedfordshire Police, the programme documents the work carried out by officers and staff across a range of investigations and incidents.

The most recent series – which still has a number of episodes to broadcast – has been more focused on specific investigations and has covered topics including extremism, murder, rape and domestic abuse.

The force took the unprecedented step of allowing total access to film cameras as part of its commitment to openness and transparency.

Assistant Chief Constable Jackie Sebire said: “There can be no greater demonstration of legitimacy and accountability than allowing film crews in to follow every aspect of policing in our county.

“The series makes captivating viewing; it gives a unique insight into the huge challenges Bedfordshire Police deals with on a daily basis and lays bare the complexities we face – including organised criminality, terrorism, gun and knife crime and growing issues such as cybercrime, historical abuse and child sexual exploitation.

“All of this against a backdrop of the funding challenges faced by being such a small ‘rural’ force.

“We are really pleased with the series which also gives viewers the opportunity to see the professionalism, dedication, compassion and humour of our workforce when dealing with policing.”

The Garden Productions Executive Producer Simon Ford said: “The BAFTAs are the most significant awards in the world of television, so being nominated is a honour for us as programme makers, but it equally reflects huge credit on all the police officers and staff at Bedfordshire Police who have trusted us to follow, so openly and honestly, the ups and downs of their cases.

“I am proud that the series has been able to give the public a real sense of the challenges of modern police work and how hard their police force is working for them across Bedfordshire.”